


The Shakarian Shuffle

by Salarka



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Drabble, Drabble Collection, F/M, Freeform, Memes, Shuffle Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-09 02:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6885955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salarka/pseuds/Salarka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on the iPod Shuffle challenge, featuring 10 drabbles centered around the Shakarian pairing. I did have to fudge the rules a bit (No way in hell that I was going to be able to write a cohesive drabble in 45 seconds). Also, the Shepard featured in these is my personal one, a Paragade Spacer/Sole Survivor Adept. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Shakarian Shuffle

Forgiven- Skillet

“So… Shepard.”

Garrus’ voice was somewhat flat, lacking his usual spunk. Shepard managed to glance up at him, and saw him holding her datapad, his mandibles tightly clenched. His eyes seemed to bore into her. 

“Could you tell me who this… Lt. Sharp is?” Garrus asked again, the gentle undertones of what Shepard could only describe as a growl sounding in his voice. For her part, Shepard could feel her heart drop into her chest, even as she found herself instinctively moving towards him. “He seems… very familiar with you.”

Shepard let out another deep breath, and took hold of the datapad, purposely intertwining her fingers with Garrus’s talons. “We… may have gone on a few dates.” She said, trying to pull Garrus closer to her. “When I was trying to figure some stuff out.”

“You mean, us?”

“Yeah…” Shepard let out another sigh. “Look, Garrus, I know this looks bad, and I should have told you, but… I didn’t know how I really felt at that point. Our entire situation was a bit strange for me, and I guess I kinda… closed off, for a bit.”

“So… you went closer to home, and found out..”

Shepard let out another chuckle. “That I prefer my men tall and plated.” 

Hands for Hans (Frozen Soundtrack)

Watching her go… was the most painful thing he’s ever done. 

He knew he should have gone with her. Every instinct screamed at him to do so, but Ashley’s hold on his body kept him routed to the Normandy’s floor, even as he watched Shepard start to bolt towards the beam. 

He felt himself began to shake, as he said the one phrase he now wished he had always said.

“I love you, too.”

Come Back to Me- David Cook

Garrus’ own mind felt out of sorts.

The foot soldiers’ kept coming, and he kept picking them off, one by one. He had to admit- having made all three of Omega’s merc companies team up just to take him down was quite the accomplishment. Of course, the fact that he was now pinned down with no way out made things more complicated. 

He fired off a few more rounds for good measure, before a flicker of biotic energy caught his attention. Thinking it was one of the asari from Eclipse, he quickly swiveled his rifle around, gaining a lock on the blue and silver armor. However, before he could shoot, a familiar letter and number stared back at him. He found himself frozen. 

N7

It was a ghost, a mirage, but yet… he watched the figure let out another blast of energy, and then glance up at him, pistol cocked. Those dark green eyes met his, and he felt his world settle back into place once more. 

Concrete Mysteries- Fallout 4 Soundtrack

The blasted remains of the Citadel made Shepard freeze in her tracks.

There was a sense of eerie silence, even with all the construction and bustle that was going on around her. She could see the bare skeletons of the structure, as well as the dark shadows that were formed from it. The once thriving hub of civilization was now nothing more than a ghost town, barely beginning to be revived and reconstructed. 

For Shepard herself, it seemed fitting. The cycle of birth and rebirth, coming together. She could feel Garrus press his hand into her own, and she gazed at him. For the first time in over a month, she gave him a small smile.

 

Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)- Dierks Bentley

She had to admit, traveling on a cruise vessel was very different than on a warship.

First off, was the sense of idleness that seemed to permeate the entire ship. Shepard found herself sleeping in for once, while Garrus actually relaxed, something she hadn’t see him do sense he started his Spectre training. The sense of peace, of simple normalcy… it was strange to the both of them, but very much needed.

Shepard managed a glance at her husband, who was now completely stretched out beside her, gazing up at the spacelight above them. They were located on one of the pool decks, and besides Garrus’ lack of swimming ability, it seemed like a perfect place right now. 

Seeing her stare, Garrus grabbed hold of her hand and let out a soft hum. For once, they actually had some peace and quiet. 

Whole World is Watching- Within Temptation

“Garrus, go for it.”

The words had left her mouth before she was aware they had. The sudden stop of Garrus’ pacing indicated he had heard her, and she could see his eyes flicker towards her. The shock was plain in those bright blue eyes of his, and his mandibles flickered in surprise. “Shepard…”

“No.” She forced herself to stand up, clenching her cane tightly. She limped her way towards him, gently placing her free hand against the side of his face. “I mean it. There’s no reason not too.”

His eyes softened. “Yes there is… you.”

“Not at the cost of your dream.”

“But me, a Spectre? I would be gone, leaving you. I can’t do that, not after…”

“But not forever.” She gently caressed the side of his face. “We’ve been through hell and back again already, Garrus. It would be tough, but nothing more than what we’ve already done.” She let out another smile, pressing herself against him. “Just make me one promise.”

“What?”

Her eyes met his, and a soft smile. “No matter what, come back alive. I did it for you, remember?”

Garrus let out another breath, and then crushed himself into her, slightly humming. “No way in hell would I break that.”

Enough- Disturbed

“Garrus, damn it.”

Shepard’s voice was flat, which scared Garrus more than anything. Her eyes were hard on him, and her could almost feel her pain and rage about to lash out. So, he did the only thing he could- he wrapped his arms around her, hoping he could almost shield her from her own pain. 

She stood strong for a few heartbeats more, before she finally folded into him, her voice becoming rough and broken. “ I can’t do this anymore, Garrus. I keep thinking I can, but I feel myself slipping. I can’t just… care anymore.” Her words melted into a sob, before settling into silence. 

Garrus still held onto her, gently placing both of them on her bed, his gaze settling on the stars above them. He let out a soft hum, a tune his mother used to sing to him as a child. He could feel Shepard becoming loose in his arms, and he focused on that, on the physical sensations that he knew they both felt. 

Begin Again- Fallout: New Vegas Soundtrack

The smoky images inside her head were the only things that kept her from falling back into the darkness.

She could see Garrus’ face, shifting and morphing, keeping only enough detail to keep him recognizeable. She watched her own form dance along side his own, repeating the steps of a long-dead tango. The beat of the dance was more like that of a waltz, repeating over and over again. Shepard knew that the Presence was using the repetition to break her down, to find a way to slip fully into her mind, to make her bow to It’s will. 

She had to keep resisting, to keep the Presence out. But, as she watched the dancing figures over and over, she could feel herself slipping with each sight of Garrus’ face. 

Tia Dalma – Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack

The heavy fog covered Garrus from head to toe, as he struggled to move through the jungle. 

He didn’t know where they were. After the Normandy’s crash (and Edi’s sudden disappearance), all their navigational data was lost. So, for now, the crew was forced to try and map the planet on foot, and find some kind of civilization.

As he moved, Garrus could feel his sanity slipping. He was seeing things, hearing things that shouldn’t be. Perhaps it was the fear of hunger when the rations ran out, or just his grief from Shepard’s death, but he saw the faces of those he had lost in the fog. His mother, EDI, Thane, Mordin, and Shepard herself. 

He could feel their presences grow closer to him, and his want to stay in the presence lessened with each passing second. He struggled to focus, but their whispers were louder, and louder. His own pain and grief pulled him closer to them, and slowly, Garrus began to wonder why he was even in the forest in the first place. 

B-Team- Marianas Trench

Spirits, why was he even thinking about her like this?

She had never shown any indication that she felt anything more than friendship towards him, and her relationship with Alenko seemed to make that clear. She had been very gentle turning down Liara, obviously, but if she wasn’t interested in an very human-looking asari… why would she be in any way be interested in a turian? 

He still couldn’t help it, his gaze lingering a bit longer than Garrus knew was appropriate. Humans had more rigid standards about fraternization than turians, and given the fact he was basically a guest on the Normandy, he didn’t want to cause any interspecies incidents.

There were still moments, though… he sometimes caught Shepard gazing at him down in the shuttle bay, a light smirk on her face. She would then swiftly move to talk with either Ashley or Wrex, but the memory of that one look would make Garrus more flustered. But, of course, he couldn’t know what those looks mean. Human body language had never been his strong suit, so it was getting to the point where he wondered if he was just misreading things. 

Yet, still… those looks kept his little crush (that’s what humans call it, right??) alive, and kept him wondering. A little bit confused, a smidge resentful, and more and more attracted to Commander Shepard.


End file.
